smith



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. D. SMITH.

- VEHICLE.

No; 334,908. Patented Jan. 26, 1886* ,(Np Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet ,2

W. D. SMITH.

VEHICLE. No. 334,908. Patented Jan. 26, 1886.

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XV. DFAN SMITH, OF BROOKLYX, NElV YORK.

VEHICLE.

$PECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,908, dated January26, 1886.

Application filed September 17, 1884. Serial No. 143,315. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, W. DEAN SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a sideelevation of my invention arranged as a single-seatedcarriage. Fig. 2 is a side elevation arranged as a two-seated carriage.Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a body enlarged and arranged as atwo-seated carriage. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line y y, Fig. 3,looking to the right. Fig. 5 is a vertical section online 00 m, Fig. 4,looking to the right. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a panel, taken online 2 2, Fig. '7. Fig. 7 is an elevation ofthe panel, taken from theoutside of the bed. Fig. 8 is a detached view, enlarged, of a portion ofthe bed. Fig. 9 is a greatly-enlarged side elevation of the lower rearcorner of the frame, the paneling having been removed.

The front wheels, A, the rear wheels, 13, the springs, and other partsof the running-gear may be of any usual or approved construction, andneed not therefore be described in detail.

I prefer to make the frame of the body of the pattern indicatedgenerally in the drawings known as the bracket form, and which has, as apart of its frame, two sills running lengthwise of the body, asindicated at O, and has also on each side a rearward extension orbracket, 0, which is substantially on a line with the sill C, and may beused to connect the body with the spring or other part of therunning-gear; or it may consist of a rearward extension of the sillitself, which may be pro longed beyond the rear wall of the body.

The box-like part of the body is made in two sections, divided upon avertical line which extends by preference from the sills upward to theupper line of the paneling.

The rear section of the body is by preference formed of two rectangularframes, DD D D one upon each side of the wagon, and united to theframe-work thereof by hinges located at or near the intersection of theribs D D of these frames, one on each side of the body. By preferencethis hinge is of a character which facilitates its being hidden fromView. The front section has also upon each side a frame, E E E", uponwhich the panelsection F, one on each side of the buggy, is

supported, the adjacent panel-sections F F being attached to the framesD D D D'.

' H is a seat having a molding or finishing strip, h, projecting fromthe lower edge of its ends, one on each end, and hinged by itsrear loweredge to one corner of the hinged section of the body, as indicated at h.The top of the buggy, when a top is used, should be permanentlyconnected with theseat H.

By an examination of the drawings it will readily be understood thatwhen the seat H is mounted upon the stationary section of the body anddirectly above the panel-section F, the hinged movable section of thebody is folded down upon the sills of the frame, with its ribs or bars Dparallel to and in close contact with the frame ribs or bars E of thestationary section, as indicated in Fig. 1, so as to present an unbrokenappearance of the paneling upon each side of the wagon, the line ofjointure between the panelsections F F being by preference covered by amolding or body, 0, there being,when desired, other molding strips orbeads e 6 surrounding the other sides of the stationary section of thebody, and there may be corresponding molding strips or beads, F F F*,upon the hinged section of the body.

When the hinged section and seat H are opened and folded into thepositions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the lower part of the hinged sectionrests upon the brackets or sill-extensions G, and I propose to formthese extensions with upwardly-projecting spurs or knobs, as at c, totake into recesses or sockets formed for their reception in that portionof this section which forms thebottom thereof when used as a twoseatedbuggy, and the rear wall when used as a single-seated buggy. Referringparticularly to Figs. 4. and 5, F is a base-board supported horizontallyupon or between the frames E E E", andi i i are supporting-brackets,each hinged at its lower end to the upper end of an angle-iron, t, whichmay be bolted or otherwise secured to the baseboard F at its ends.

J J are seat ends attached to the brackets i i t", each being providedat its lower end with a molding or finishing strip, j.

h" is a vertical supporting-strip rising from the base-board near itscenter, and serving as a support for the center of the seat II, when thelatter is in the position shown in Fig. 1, and also as a support for theinner ends or sides of the removable cushions K K, which are used, asindicated in Figs. 2. 3, 4, and 5, when the buggy is arranged with twoseats. The frames k /c' of these cushions are provided with cleats k k",to prevent accidental displacement, and are further provided withourtains or falls L L in front and rear. The seat H may also be providedwith a fall.

To assist in further supporting the parts in position when used as atwo-seated buggy, I propose to employ hooks or other braces, d, one onlybeing shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the upper ends of the hooks being attachedto the front frame bars or ribs, D", there being staples or otherequivalents to receive their hooked lower ends.

G G (see Figs. 1, 8, and 6) is a panel-strip or finishingstrip, which Ipropose to insert between the movable section and the stationarysection, one at each side of the buggy. The rib G should be about aswide as the sill O, and may have one or more dowel-pins, G to beinserted in holes in the upper faces of the sills; or other similardevices may be employed to hold these finishing-strips in place. \Vhenpreferred, the outer faces of thcsestrips may have at top or bottom, orboth, beads or finishing-moldings g 9, so that when in place the bead Gwill fitin and form acontinuation of the bead e f, as indicated in thedrawings; but when the bracket form of body is used, these parts G G maybe omitted without materially detracting from the beauty of design orfinish of the buggy.

While I have shown my invention as applied to a buggy having a foldingtop applied thereto, I do not wish to'be limited thereby, because theinvention is equally applicable to many other forms of vehicle, to whichit can be applied without in any manner departing from its spirit.

While I prefer to hinge the front seat, H, to the removable section ofthe body, I do not wish to be limited thereby, because under somecircumstances, particularly where no top is used above the seat, Ipropose to make the front seat and its cushions stationary, and use themovable cushionsK in connection with the hinged movable section of thebody, and in practice I propose to employ a board or other casing-wallarranged between the ribs or bars D D, so that the hinged section may bemore conveniently used as a receptacle for the storage andtransportation of various articles; and under some circumstances Ipropose to use a similar wall between the bars or ribs D, thus morefully inclosing the space between the panels F. Of course if the angularbrackets it" i be applied to the hinged or movable section, such wallwould have to be placed in substantially the position occupied by theboard F in order to leave room for these bracketsto fold inward when thebuggy is used with but a single seat.

I am aware that a shifting-seat buggy having the rear port on of itsbody hinged by its rear lower corner to the frame or sills, and havingalso the seat hinged to the upper forward corner of the movable section,is not new with me; but I believe I am the first to combine a movablesection of the body, a hinged seat, a stationary part of the body, andsupports projecting rearward from the body when folded, and adapted toreceive and support the body when unfolded or opened backward to convertthe vehicle from a single seated carriage to a two-seated carriage.

In the prior shifting-seat carriage above referred to a part of thehinged section of the body was of reduced width, so that it shut down inbeetwen the sides or panels of the stationary portion,whereby there wasa groove formed between the adjacent edges of the folding portion andthe stationary section on each side of the buggy, which groove openedoutwardly, thus producing crevices adapted to receive and retain dirtwhen the carriage was used with a single seat for some length of time,which objection is entirely obviated in my construction by the use ofthe overlapping beads or moldings, whereby a tidy and finishedappearance of the body of the vehicle is insured.

By reason of the peculiar shape ofthe movable section of the body-thatis to say, it having a rear wall or panel of nearly the same height asthe panel F, it is practicable to employ horizontal extensions orbrackets O, which are substantially on a line with the sills G, and havethe hinged section engage directly with these brackets at such distancein rear of the hinge as shall furnish a strong and\ desirable supportfor the seat when unfolded, thereby relieving not only the hinges,butalso the hooks or braces d from undue strain.

What I claim is 1. 'In a vehicle, the seatsupporting body formed in twosections, of which one is stationary and the other is hinged by itslower rear corner, the seat hinged to the movable section and adapted tobe supported alternately upon the movable section and upon thestationary section, and supports projectingv rearward from the body andadapted to support the weight ofthe seat when the vehicle is arrangedwith two seats, substantially as set forth.

2. In a vehicle, the seat-supporting body formed in two sections, ofwhich one is stationaryand the other is hinged by its lower rear corner,the seat hinged to the movable section and adapted to be supportedalternately upon the movable section and upon the stationary section,supports projecting rearward from the body and adapted to support theweight of the seat when the vehicle is arranged with two seats, andbraces connected at their upper ends to the movable section and at theirlower ends to the frame-work, substantially as set forth.

3. In a vehicle, the SQFlt-SHPIJOItlDg body formed in two sections, ofwhich one is stationary and the other is hinged by its lower rearcorner, and is provided with a substantially vertical rear wall, theseat hingedto the movable section and adapted to be supportedalternately upon the movable section and upon the stationary section,and supports projecting rearward from the body and adapted to engagewith the rear wall of the movable section, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination. with the stationary section of the body and thehinged section, of

the finishing-strips adapted to be interposed between these sections,substantially as set forth. v

5. The combination, of the cushions K K

